Chapter 12: Outbreak, The Rewards Arrive

Li Shuo said with a beaming smile, "Didn't you say it yourself? I definitely wouldn't score as well as you, that's why I'm asking you..."

The first rule of bickering is to hide one's weaknesses. His score of 536 wasn't actually high; it was merely upper-middle class for his school. Fortunately, as a reincarnator, he didn't care much about that; he only needed to find a school with plenty of beautiful girls within a limited radius to enjoy his college years.

Li Hongmei didn't know this. The more she looked at Li Shuo's smiling face, the angrier she became. With a stiff expression, she said, "Of course I scored well. I estimated 550!"

Looking at her arrogant expression, Li Shuo could only shake his head. He couldn't remember other people's scores, but he remembered Li Hongmei's because she had scored exactly 536, just like him. Furthermore, Li Hongmei's second choice was a randomly filled-in Accounting and Finance college—in his past life, she had even been classmates with him and Jiang Hai.

"Oh, congratulations. You really exceeded your own expectations."

These words were a bit malicious. Li Hongmei was usually a good student, so scoring 550 wouldn't have been unusual, but the fact that she ultimately only scored 536 caused her mental breakdown. In his memory, she had almost failed to attend college because of it.

"Alright, stop bickering. Li Shuo, what did you apply for?"

Jiang Menghan joined the conversation at this moment. Her beautiful eyes stared intently at Li Shuo. After asking, she added directly, "If you ask me, Songshan County isn't far from Lenghai. We should apply to the metropolis of Lenghai. Study in a big city for a few years, and then settle down and work in Lenghai..."

This first love goddess actually had quite a bit of foresight. Compared to the others, she had a plan for the future and even thought about bringing her small social circle to university, ensuring she would continue to enjoy being the center of attention.

Unfortunately, Li Shuo was destined not to be her "simp" anymore.

He picked up his application form quite casually and said, "I want to study something related to the arts, so I applied to the Lenghai Academy of Drama..."

Kang Tao said in shock, "What? Can't you only get into that through the arts entrance exam?"

Jiang Menghan's eyes widened. After a few seconds, she said, "Many art academies do require the arts exam, but a few top-tier schools are different; they also recruit through the National College Entrance Exam. The Lenghai Academy of Drama is one of them. Moreover, art schools have an advantage: even if they aren't part of the 985 or 211 projects, they are very famous, and their diplomas carry weight. It's very useful when you enter society..."

As she finished, she took a deep breath and gave a bright smile. "I didn't expect us to be thinking along the same lines. I applied to the Lenghai Academy of Drama as well..."

Silence fell. The people around them immediately stopped talking.

Li Hongmei and the others who were hostile toward Li Shuo felt that Jiang Menghan's self-disclosure seemed like a sign of yielding to him, making everyone feel a bit awkward.

Only Kang Tao's eyes were wide, staring fixedly at Li Shuo, looking as if he wanted to write the word "envious" across his face.

"Hey, what's with that expression? Am I not allowed to apply for the same thing as Jiang Menghan?" Seeing Kang Tao's simp-like behavior, Li Shuo felt genuinely annoyed and patted him on the shoulder.

Kang Tao forced a smile and said, "No, actually, I wanted to apply for that too..."

*So, we'll be classmates in the future? That shouldn't be right. If Jiang Menghan had applied to the Lenghai Academy of Drama in my past life, I should have a memory of it,* Li Shuo muttered to himself.

Although it was just a chat, the conversation seemed to revolve around Li Shuo. Even Jiang Menghan took the initiative to talk to him. Li Hongmei couldn't stand it and pulled Jiang Menghan away, saying, "Alright, stop talking to that 'thief-catcher.' Let's go submit our applications..."

"Wait, Jiang Menghan, where did you put your second choice?" Kang Tao hurriedly stood up.

Li Shuo stood up at the same time, sneering, "Li Hongmei, what do you mean by that?"

This time, his voice was loud enough that half the class heard him. Instantly, everyone's gaze converged on them.

"What's wrong with me?" Li Hongmei retorted.

"Just because I went to check on the victim's home halfway through because of Jiang Menghan's birthday, you keep bringing up 'catching a thief.' To you, a good deed sounds as if I went into someone's house to steal something. Tell me, what is your intention?"

Li Shuo's face was full of indignation, looking utterly righteous. Pointing his finger at Li Hongmei, his neck flushed red as he shouted, "Forget being classmates—even if we were just ordinary neighbors, shouldn't you go check if someone's been robbed? Fine, if you won't go, and someone else does, you turn around and complain about it?"

"Tell me, are you the one who only knows how to be passive-aggressive behind people's backs? To put it bluntly, what kind of person do you think you are! Pfft!"

The entire class erupted in an uproar. No one expected Li Shuo to suddenly explode; he was usually just an invisible presence, but in this instant, he became the center of attention.

"Is that Li Shuo? Wow, it's the first time I've seen him get so angry."

"Exactly. I remember Li Shuo having a pretty good temper, especially with Jiang Menghan—he'd agree with whatever she said. He was pretty much the same with Li Hongmei."

"I think I heard that on Jiang Menghan's birthday, Li Shuo only gave her a bouquet of flowers, and Li Hongmei looked down on him, so she's been making snide remarks ever since."

"I didn't realize Li Hongmei was that kind of person. He's been so good to her for all three years of high school..."

Amidst the buzzing, Li Hongmei's face turned bright red and her lips trembled, but she had no idea how to fight back.

Seeing her best friend being bullied, Jiang Menghan immediately stepped forward, looking at Li Shuo with displeasure. "What are you doing? Li Hongmei just said a few words about you, is it necessary to shout like that? Apologize to her immediately!"

The reason Li Shuo exploded was twofold: first, he couldn't stand the buzzing flies, and second, he wanted to test Jiang Menghan's attitude. Would she side with logic or with her friend? Most likely, she would side with Li Hongmei.

He had originally intended to keep a distance—high school was over, and everyone should just live their own lives. But he hadn't expected Jiang Menghan to apply to the Lenghai Academy of Drama! If she got in, they would have four years of seeing each other. Li Shuo didn't want to deal with this "ambiguous" dynamic with her every day.

Not the romantic kind of ambiguity, but the kind where he would always carry the reputation of a "simp." If the seniors at the drama academy found out, would he even have a chance in the future?

Li Shuo let out a cold laugh and mocked, "Jiang Menghan, I was out of my mind for three years of high school to like you. But I've made myself clear now—I don't like you anymore. Why are you still bossing me around like you used to, and even demanding an apology? Who are you to me? By what right do you command me?"

Jiang Menghan's delicate body trembled. Her beautiful face was filled with disbelief as she looked at Li Shuo. A "farewell" through flowers was not as powerful as a direct, face-to-face rejection. She never imagined that Li Shuo would dare to speak to her so coldly and heartlessly!

The whole class fell into silence. The onlookers began to wildly speculate, thinking that Jiang Menghan must have said something cruel to Li Shuo; otherwise, how could the normally submissive Li Shuo undergo such a massive change?

"What's all this noise? What happened?"

Just as the classroom was in chaos, the homeroom teacher finally walked in. She barked a command to restore order to the classroom, then looked outside and said to the students with a smile, "Come, come, everyone, put down what you're doing. Let's welcome the comrades from the Songshan County Police Station..."

Huh?

All the students were bewildered, but following the teacher's lead, they began to applaud.

Li Shuo sat down as if nothing had happened. The performance was over; the time ahead would be when he would completely break free from the shackles of his past life and reveal his true self...

Jiang Menghan also sat down, supported by Li Hongmei. The two girls didn't hear a word of what was being said on the stage. Li Hongmei comforted her, "...Don't be angry, Menghan. Isn't this for the best? I don't know what kind of medicine Li Shuo took, but from now on, we'll just draw a line and never associate with him again..."

In the next moment, the homeroom teacher on the high platform spoke with great passion: "...I never expected that just a few days after the college entrance exams ended, one of our classmates would act with such bravery and take on social responsibility..."

"...That student is none other than Li Shuo!"

"Come, Li Shuo, please stand up. This is Officer Li from the Police Station. He will represent the police department to present you with a banner of bravery, a medal, and the special bonus the police department has applied for you regarding this case..."

(End of Chapter)